Minnesota Twins center fielder Aaron Hicks (32) gets ready to take the field during the third inning to hit but ended up striking out against the New York Mets at Target Field in Minneapolis on Saturday, April 13, 2013. (Pioneer Press: Sherri LaRose-Chiglo)

Aaron Hicks is not walking around the Twins’ clubhouse with his head down or complaining to anyone who will listen.

The Twins’ rookie center fielder understands why manager Ron Gardenhire removed him from the leadoff spot and placed him near the bottom of the batting order.

“They took me out of the leadoff spot for a purpose,” Hicks said Wednesday, April 17. “This is the big leagues. Leadoff is a job where you have to get on base and allow guys to drive you in.

“If you’re not producing, if you’re not doing your job, you get pushed back.”

Hicks was moved down to eighth in the order for Tuesday’s game against the Los Angeles Angels at Target Field and would have batted eighth again Wednesday night if the game had not been postponed because of bad weather.

Though Hicks understands Gardenhire’s decision, based on his 2-for-43 start at the plate, he is not ready to concede the leadoff spot to Brian Dozier, who was in the role Tuesday night and was listed at the top of the order for Wednesday’s game.

“It’s up to me to put myself back in the leadoff hole,” Hicks said. “I still feel comfortable at the plate. It’s just a matter of time before the ball starts dropping for me.”

Gardenhire indicated before Wednesday’s postponement that he would prefer to have Hicks as his leadoff man but not until Hicks “can have some quality at-bats and not think about too much.”

Gardenhire does not seem to be in a rush to find out how long it takes Hicks to reach a comfort zone at the plate. Dozier had an impressive night Tuesday in the leadoff role in the Twins’ 8-6 win — 2 for 4 with two runs batted in.

Like Hicks, Dozier was a leadoff man in the minors and is comfortable in that role.

In just one game, Dozier proved to be more comfortable at the plate than Hicks, and he is willing to battle Hicks for the leadoff job. Dozier, who has batted eighth 10 times this season, is riding a surge of confidence after Tuesday’s performance.

“I absolutely love hitting leadoff,” he said. “That’s where I’ve hit most of my career. I was leadoff for the month I was in Rochester. There’s no pressure on me at all in that role. I feel really good there.”

As long as Dozier is productive, Gardenhire is prepared to leave him at the top of the order. He made a good impression in his first at-bat, forcing Angels starter Jason Vargas to throw him 10 pitches before he flew out to center.

“He wasn’t overwhelmed at all,” Gardenhire said. “He’s been swinging the bat well; that’s why I put him there. It’s not always about the hits; it’s about quality at-bats, and he’s been having those.”

The primary function for whoever secures the leadoff role is to get in scoring position for Joe Mauer, off to a fast start as the No. 2 hitter. Mauer is batting .386 with seven runs batted in and has nine hits in his past 11 at-bats.

Hicks struggled to give Mauer opportunities to drive in runs. He was hitless in his past 17 at-bats entering Tuesday’s game and has an unflattering season batting average of .044. Hicks, however, drew two walks in Tuesday’s game and scored on both occasions.

He was 0 for 2 at the plate, but getting on base and having an impact on the game was a boost in the aftermath of Gardenhire’s decision.

“I’m showing I have plate discipline,” Hicks said. “I’m not swinging at curves in the dirt as much as I used to. I was swinging at pitches I shouldn’t have swung at. It’s going to be a process for me. I know it’s important for me to be relaxed at the plate.”

For the time being, Hicks will have to regroup at the bottom of the order. Some observers might call Gardenhire’s move a demotion. Hicks disagreed.

“A demotion is when you get sent down to the minors,” Hicks said. “It’s definitely not a demotion for me. It’s a challenge that I’m willing to accept.”

As you comment, please be respectful of other commenters and other viewpoints. Our goal with article comments is to provide a space for civil, informative and constructive conversations. We reserve the right to remove any comment we deem to be defamatory, rude, insulting to others, hateful, off-topic or reckless to the community. See our full terms of use here.

More in Sports

The Vikings reportedly will open next season where the last one ended in bitter disappointment. Minnesota will play at Philadelphia in the NFL opener on Thursday, Sept. 6, according to report Monday by sportscaster Howard Eskin, an Eagles sideline reporter. The Vikings lost 38-7 at Philadelphia in January's NFC Championship Game. The Eagles went on to win Super Bowl LII...

FORT MYERS, Fla. -- Twins second baseman Brian Dozier always makes an effort to bond with his keystone partner at shortstop. Since the second half of 2016, that has been young Jorge Polanco. So it was with great sadness that Dozier was forced to react Monday morning to news of Polanco’s 80-game steroid suspension, handed down on Sunday by Major...

FORT MYERS, Fla. -- Twins third baseman Miguel Sano has known Jorge Polanco since they were 12-year-old baseball prodigies in the famed town of San Pedro de Macoris in the Dominican Republic. So it was an emotional conversation on Sunday evening between the two teammates, friends for half their young lives, after Major League Baseball announced an 80-game steroid suspension...

EUGENE, Ore. — Sabrina Ionescu had 29 points, nine assists and seven rebounds and the second-seeded Oregon Ducks advanced to the Sweet 16 with a 101-73 victory over No. 10 Minnesota in the second round of the NCAA women’s basketball tournament on Sunday night. It was the 11th straight victory for the Ducks, who are headed to the round of...

Since signing with the Timberwolves, Derrick Rose has insisted he still has something left in his 29-year-old legs. He proved as much Sunday night. After three underwhelming showings with the Wolves, Rose provided a spark for Minnesota during a 129-120 loss to Houston at Target Center. "Obviously, he's rejuvenated," Jimmy Butler said before the game. "I see him out there...

One word succinctly describes what’s transpired so far in the NCAA Tournament: Madness. But even that’s probably underselling it. A comeback for the ages by Nevada. An entire region left without a Top 4 seed in the Sweet 16 for the first time in tourney history. The 16-seed winner UMBC, falling short in its attempt to extend its historic run...